| Cleofide | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Johann Adolph Hasse | |
 The opera's composer, Johann Adolph Hasse | |
| Librettist | Pietro Metastasio (adapted by M. Boccardi) |
| Premiere | |
Cleofide (Cleophis) is an opera seria in three acts by Johann Adolf Hasse. The Italian libretto was adapted from Metastasio's Alessandro nell'Indie by Michelangelo Boccardi.
Boccardi's adaptation of the libretto shifted the focus of the story to Cleofide, as the name suggests, instead of Alessandro as in Metastasio's original libretto.
Cleofide was first performed on 13 September 1731 at the Grosses Königliches Opernhaus am Zwingerhof in Dresden.
Hasse returned to the same subject for a new production at the Teatro San Giovanni Gristostomo in Venice on 4 November 1736, however the music was almost completely different. On that occasion, the original title of Metastasio's libretto was used: Alessandro nell'Indie.
Although successful after its premiere, the opera has faded into relative obscurity, though a revival was staged at the Semperoper Dresden in March 2005. An audio recording of the opera was produced in 1986. [1] A critical edition of the Dresden 1731 version is also available (ed. Z. Mojzysz, Carus-Verlag, Stuttgart). [2] One of Poro's arias, Generoso risvegliati, o core was featured in the film Farinelli (1994). Se mai più sarò geloso, [3] a duet for Cleofide and Poro and the Cleofide-aria Son qual misera colomba [4] are also relatively famous among baroque opera enthusiasts.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 13 September 1731 (Conductor:) |
|---|---|---|
| Alessandro Magno (Alexander the Great) | alto castrato | Domenico Annibali |
| Poro (Porus), an Indian ruler | alto castrato | Domenico Campioli |
| Cleofide (Cleophis) | soprano | Faustina Bordoni |
| Erissena | soprano | Maria Santina Cattaneo |
| Gandarte | soprano castrato | Ventura Rocchetti |
| Timagene | alto castrato | Nicolò Pozzi |
Act 1
Battlefield on the Banks of the Hydaspes. The army of the Indian King Poros has been utterly vanquished by Alexander's troops. Poros commands his fleeing soldiers to stand their ground against the invaders but is not obeyed. Poros intends to kill himself to avoid the impending humiliation but is hindered by his beloved Cleophis, queen of another part of India. She assures him of her love, but he breaks out in jealous recriminations, maintaining that she is actually Alexander's mistress. Gandartes, Poros' general, then warns his commander of the enemy's approach. Poros removes his crown and dons Gandartes's helmet so as to deceive the conqueror. Alexander appears together with Timagenes, his general. Even in this situation, fraught with external danger, Poros sees Alexander more as a rival in love than as a field marshal. This, however, does not prevent him from playing the part of Gandartes so impressively that Alexander is moved to give him a special present for Poros: the sword that once belonged to Darius, the Persian king. After Poros has departed, Timagenes presents a woman in chains, Poros' sister Eryxene. She has been captured, bound and handed over by two opportunistic Indians. But as they soon discover, Alexander deeply despises this sort of "tribute". He commands his men to untie her and to turn the betrayers over to her brother for punishment. Timagenes declares his love to Eryxene but is sharply rebuked; Alexander, without knowing it, has already won her heart. Timagenes, jealous, dreams up plans of revenge in which the troops are to be incited to mutiny against Alexander and to ally themselves with Poros.
A Palm Grove. Poros confronts his lover with renewed accusations of infidelity. Cleophis says she was only cajoling Alexander so as to move him to spare India, but Poros will hear nothing of it. But when Cleophis threatens to take refuge from Poros' jealousy by going into seclusion in the wilderness, he pledges to control his temper (and not for the first time, as we have seen). The Macedonians then deliver Eryxene to Cleophis and Poros. Eryxene tells them of Alexander's generosity, and Cleophis decides to hurry to him and lay her kingdom at his feet. At which Poros immediately forgets that he has promised to trust in Cleophis' fidelity. Fresh complications crop up: Poros seeks to find out from Eryxene whether or not Cleophis can be trusted but with only a few words succeeds in making his sister jealous of Cleophis. Gandartes enters the scene; Timagenes, lusting for revenge and believing him to be Poros, has revealed to him his traitorous scheme. But Poros has other worries of a more personal nature. Then follows a scene in which Eryxene, long betrothed to Gandartes, delicately prepares him for the news that she does not feel bound to a faithfulness that extends to the realm of thought, saying that "this sort of absolute devotion is no longer in fashion." If she is to choose him, then it will be only of her own free will. Left alone, Gandartes considers the merits of women who (unlike Eryxene) conceal their true feelings and who have only words of flattery for their loved ones.
Back to the Banks of the Hydaspes. Alexander reveals to his general Timagenes that he is in love with Cleophis but instructs him not to let her become aware of this weakness. Cleophis, with an entourage of Indians bearing lavish presents, pays her respects to Alexander. But Alexander says he desires only her loyalty, not her submission. Timagenes announces the arrival of a Duke Hasbytes. This is none other than Poros, whose jealousy is giving him no peace. He maliciously advises Alexander that Cleophis' vows of faithfulness are worthless - she, he says, has already betrayed the love of Poros, and Alexander is certainly to be her next victim. Cleophis "castles the king" with maneuvers on the emotional level, successful placating the skeptic. She instructs Hydaspes to inform Poros that her heart belongs to Alexander alone. This puts Alexander in a defensive position, for as we know, he cannot admit his love out of tactical considerations. He declares himself her friend and protector but makes it clear that that is all she can expect from him. To Poros this assertion of his masculine adversary is more credible than the combined attestations of his loved one and suffices to convince him of her fidelity.
Act 2
In the Royal Chambers of Poros. Poros consults with Gandartes on how to keep Alexander from crossing the Hydaspes. Eryxene announces the approach of Alexander. The attack has begun. When Poros hears that Cleophis is hurrying to meet with the enemy, he of course reacts in the manner we have long since come to expect. Eryxene implores her brother to allow her to accompany them to the battlefield.
Alexander's Army Camp. In the meantime, a bridge has been built across the river. Just as Cleophis is declaring her allegiance to the victor and promising him security in her kingdom, a renewed call to arms is sounded: Poros attacks, destroying the bridge. Gandartes and his men, constituting Poros' rear guard, finally save themselves by jumping into the Hydaspes. This is followed by a meeting between Cleophis and Poros. The fresh jealousy scene takes an unexpected turn. After Cleophis threatens to throw herself in to the raging waters of the river and Poros succeeds in restraining her, the lovers decide to marry at once. At that moment it becomes clear that they are surrounded by enemies; Poros wishes to kill first Cleophis and then himself, sparing both the humiliation of defeat. Alexander prevents Poros, whom he still believes is the duke Hasbytes, from carrying out his plans. Timagenes asks his commander to placate the army, who are blaming Cleophis' followers for the unanticipated Indian attack and demanding that the queen be put to death. Timagenes has Cleophis brought to the castle; Poros, for his part, is left behind as a prisoner. He accuses Timagenes of having betrayed him - although Timagenes had informed him of the Greeks' combat plans, Alexander had deviated from his customary position shortly before the battle. To prove his loyalty, Timagenes sets Poros free.
In Cleophis' Palace. Alexander sees only one way of saving Cleophis from the rage of his army, by taking her as his wife. Gandartes, who has eavesdropped on the conversation, enters, declares that he is Poros and offers his life in exchange for that of the queen. Once again, Alexander proves himself a magnanimous leader. He promises to grant Poros (who is actually Gandartes) and Hasbytes (Poros) their freedom. The endless confusion of mistaken identities takes on a new dimension: Eryxene appears with the news that after the battle on the bridge Poros had fallen into river and drowned (we know that Gandartes survived his perilous jump into the Hydaspes in good condition). Cleophis is left alone and deeply despondent.
Act 3
A colonnade in the Palace Garden. Gandartes reveals to Eryxene, Poros' sister, that Poros had not drowned in the Hydaspes. He gives her a conspiratory letter from General Timagenes and instructs her to take it to her brother. Meanwhile, Cleophis, who still believes that her lover is dead, consents to marry Alexander for the purpose of establishing peace between the Indians and the Greeks. Eryxene overhears the agreement and now believes in Cleophis' infidelity - as does Poros in any event. Alexander approaches with a guard: Timagenes' betrayal has come to light; Eryxene is interrogated and must admit to being implicated in the machinations. Timagenes, seeing the letter he wrote, also falls to his knees. Once again, Alexander lets mercy take precedence over justice. Poros, who has lost his most valuable ally in Timagenes, commands Gandartes to kill him. This time it is Eryxene who thwarts the suicidal impulse: she reports the impending marriage of Alexander and Cleophis, provoking a renewed round of Poros' jealousy. Cleophis is indeed planning to marry Alexander, believing she has lost her true love, but intends to commit suicide after the wedding. The wedding festivities begin. A pyre is ignited in veneration of the god Bacchus. Indians, Greeks, nymphs and fauns gather for the dance. Alexander bids Cleophis to place her hands in his - at which time she declares that she had already been married to Poros and now (in accordance with Indian custom) wishes to mount the pyre and follow him in death. The final scene in the opera resolves the general confusion. In the end no one has died and Alexander is given another opportunity to prove that he is a true model of noble character. He grants Poros and Cleophis their freedom and their empire, and Gandartes is given feudal tenure over the lands conquered by Alexander on the far side of the Ganges. Poros now shows himself to be high-minded, rewarding Gandartes' loyalty by marrying him to his sister Eryxene.
Hasse: Cleofide, Cappella Coloniensis (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdE4tOZKMgU)
Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio, was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of opera seria libretti.
Johann Adolph Hasse was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a considerable quantity of sacred music. Married to soprano Faustina Bordoni and a friend of librettist Pietro Metastasio, whose libretti he frequently set, Hasse was a pivotal figure in the development of opera seria and 18th-century music.
Niccolò Jommelli was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School. Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he was responsible for certain operatic reforms including reducing ornateness of style and the primacy of star singers somewhat.
Carl Heinrich Graun was a German composer and tenor. Along with Johann Adolph Hasse, he is considered to be the most important German composer of Italian opera of his time.
Il re pastore is an opera, K. 208, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Metastasio, edited by Giambattista Varesco. It is an opera seria. The opera was first performed on 23 April 1775 in Salzburg in the Rittersaal of the Residenz-Theater in the palace of the Archbishop Count Hieronymus von Colloredo.
Ignaz Jakob Holzbauer was an Austrian composer of symphonies, concertos, operas, and chamber music, and a member of the Mannheim school. His aesthetic style is in line with that of the Sturm und Drang "movement" of German art and literature.
L'Olimpiade is an opera libretto in three acts by Metastasio originally written for an operatic setting by Antonio Caldara of 1733. Metastasio’s plot vaguely draws upon the narrative of "The Trial of the Suitors" provided from Book 6 of The Histories of Herodotus, which had previously been the base for Apostolo Zeno's libretto Gli inganni felici (1695). The story, set in Ancient Greece at the time of the Olympic Games, is about amorous rivalry and characters' taking places to gain the loved one. The story ends with the announcement of two marriages.
Poro, re dell'Indie is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. The Italian-language libretto was adapted from Alessandro nell'Indie by Metastasio, and based on Alexander the Great's encounter with Porus in 326 BC. The libretto had already been set to music by Leonardo Vinci in 1729 and was used as the text for more than sixty operas throughout the 18th century.
Francesco Domenico Araja was an Italian composer who spent 25 years in Russia and wrote at least 14 operas for the Russian Imperial Court including Tsefal i Prokris, the first opera in Russian.
Alessandro nelle Indie is an opera seria in two acts by Giovanni Pacini to a libretto by Andrea Leone Tottola and Giovanni Schmidt, based on Alessandro nell'Indie by Pietro Metastasio. It was premiered at the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples on 29 September 1824, and had a total of 38 performances in its first season.
Didone abbandonata was an opera in three acts composed by Tomaso Albinoni. Albinoni's music was set to Pietro Metastasio's libretto, Didone abbandonata, which was in turn based on the story of Dido and Aeneas from the fourth book of Virgil's Aeneid. The opera premiered on 26 December 1724 at the Teatro San Cassiano in Venice and was the first time that an opera based on a Metastasio libretto was performed in Venice.
Annibale Pio Fabri, also known as Balino, from Annibalino, diminutive of his first name, was an Italian singer and composer of the 18th century. One of the leading tenors of his age in a time dominated by the castrati, Fabri is now best known for his association with the composer George Frideric Handel, in whose operas Fabri sang.
Domenico Annibali was an Italian castrato who had an active international career from 1725–1764. He began his career in his native country and was then committed to the Grosses Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden from 1729 until his retirement from the stage 35 years later. In Dresden he excelled in the operas of Johann Adolph Hasse, notably creating roles in the premieres of two of his operas. He was also admired there in works by Nicola Porpora.
Alexandre aux Indes is an opera by the French composer Nicolas-Jean Lefroid de Méreaux, first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique on 26 August 1783. It takes the form of a tragédie lyrique in three acts. The libretto, by Étienne Morel de Chédeville, concerns Alexander the Great and the Indian king Porus. The plot has similarities with Racine's tragedy Alexandre le Grand (1665) and Metastasio's libretto Alessandro nell'Indie.
Artaserse is an opera in three acts composed by Johann Adolph Hasse to an Italian libretto adapted from that by Metastasio by Giovanni Boldini first shown in Venice on 11 February 1730.
Il Ruggiero is an opera in three acts composed by Johann Adolph Hasse to a libretto by Pietro Metastasio. It was first staged on 16 October 1771 for the wedding of Archduke Ferdinand Karl with Maria Beatrice d'Este in the Teatro Regio Ducale, Milan. It was both Metastasio's last libretto and Hasse's last opera, as well as the thirty-second Metastasio libretto Hasse had set to music.
Alessandro nell'Indie is a libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio. It was set to music around ninety times firstly by Leonardo Vinci, whose version premiered in Rome on 2 January 1730. The libretto was the fourth of five that Metastasio wrote for the Teatro delle Dame in Rome between 1727 and 1730. The work was dedicated to the Stuart pretender to the British throne, James Francis Edward Stuart, then resident in Rome.
Siface re di Numidia is a libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio. It is a reworking of La forza della virtù by de:Domenico David and was Metastasio's first work as a librettist. it was first performed with a setting to music by Francesco Feo on 13 May 1723 at the Teatro San Bartolomeo, Naples.
Siroe re di Persia is a libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio. Set to music by Leonardo Vinci, it was first performed on 2 February 1726 at the Teatro San Giovanni Grisostomo, Venice. It was subsequently set to music at least 35 times by different composers.
Demetrio is an opera libretto in three acts by Pietro Metastasio. It was first performed to music composed by Antonio Caldara on 4 November 1731 during celebrations of the name day of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI in Vienna. Different composers later used it when composing operas named Alceste, Cleonice and Demetrio, rè della Siria. With over fifty settings it was one of Metastasio's most popular works.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
